When someone is not home, the delivery man or woman will ring a neighbour's doorbell as it's easier to collect a parcel from next door than to make a trip to the postal depot.

But leaving a parcel with a neighbour - or signing for someone else's - could bring a few problems, the Mirror reports.

Whose responsibility is it?

When you order something from a retailer, your agreement is with the retailer and not with any third party used during the delivery process.

This means it is the retailer's responsibility if things go wrong.

But parcel price comparison site ParcelHero has warned that deliveries which have been signed for by a neighbour present something of a grey area when it comes to consumer rights if there is anything wrong with the delivery.

The retailer may argue that an item is their responsibility until it is signed for – so if no issue with the item is raised at that point, how can you prove that it was damaged in transit and not by the neighbour?

Well it all comes down to whether you named the neighbour as a delivery option.

If you did this, the retailer may argue that delivering to them is no different to delivering the item directly to you.

What are your rights?

Consumer website Which? says you still have rights if you pursue a complaint for a replacement.

If you did not give permission for the item to be delivered to a neighbour, you can claim the retailer is in breach of contract, meaning it can still be considered undelivered and the responsibility of the retailer.

What if my neighbour won't give me my delivery?

Which? says it depends on whether you gave specific delivery instructions to leave the parcel with that neighbour.

Postman pat

The seller is not responsible if something goes wrong if you did, but if you didn't you can claim breach of contract.

How do I complain?

You should follow the retailer's complaints policy.

You can look at complaints service Resolver to help with this process, and draft a complaint document.

Martyn James of Resolver said: "Countless millions of us feel held hostage by rubbish delivery firms. Lost days off work, damaged goods, faked deliveries and many, many more problems occur - and it's really not acceptable.

"The good news is you shouldn't be fobbed off to the delivery company to complain. The shop you bought the goods from is responsible for the delivery - and if there's any dispute, they should sort it. And if they don't, Resolver can help you make a complaint."